Annoying comments you hear all the time

[Basement Cat]

It's funny you say that.  One of my friends said "Don't get preachy!" when I told her about my decision.  The funny thing is, anytime we're out and about and we go somewhere to eat...  if I order something and ask not to have cheese or meat on a dish, she needs to make some kind of comment about how she's a diehard carnivore and how she'll go vegan when lions and tigers go vegan.  And I'm the one that shouldn't get preachy? 

 

And this was an actual conversation:

 

Her:  "So, what made you decide to go vegan anyway?"

Me:  "Well, I've been doing a lot of research on it.  There are some pretty massive health benefits to be had, and many of the top ultrarunners in the world are vegan.  Also, I just don't feel right having a creature die so that I can eat, when I can still eat and thrive without animal products."

Her:  "There you go getting preachy.  I told you not to do that!"

Me:  "But...  you asked..."  *headdesk*

Hahaha, I know. You can blame PETA for a lot of those anti-vegan feelings. Actually, you can blame vocal minorities for a lot of prejudices. When you say "vegan" they hear "kill joy". Try returning the favour when they do that: tell them to stop preaching at you and to respect your choices. See how that goes.

[Fenshire]

Well, to be fair, she's cut me some slack ever since I saw a doctor and was given a clean bill of health.  The doctor was very supportive of my choice and commended me on how I've made sure that I'm getting all of my proper nutrients.  All the same, I've learned to avoid using the "V-word".  I tend to just say that I have a plant-based diet.  My answer to why is now either "It helps me run faster." or "It makes me feel better." 

[citizenkade]

Well, to be fair, she's cut me some slack ever since I saw a doctor and was given a clean bill of health.  The doctor was very supportive of my choice and commended me on how I've made sure that I'm getting all of my proper nutrients.  All the same, I've learned to avoid using the "V-word".  I tend to just say that I have a plant-based diet.  My answer to why is now either "It helps me run faster." or "It makes me feel better." 

 

It's funny how that goes: Ethical Vegan? TONS OF QUESTIONS, and the occasional flippant comment about how you think you're better than everyone... When I rarely say anything to anyone. Health Vegan? Less questions, but the occasional Paleo person wants to argue, which I really don't dig. Performance Vegan? Not a single question. It's funny!

 

My friends are finally cool with it, since they've seen the positive change in my life, and they know I'm not going to lecture them for eating a burger.

 

PETA does more damage than good for our reputations, I agree. Most of us are pretty laid back. It's like this with most communities, though. Nerd Fitness is the first time I've been around Paleo folk who haven't been antagonistic ass-hats, so I'm applying the "vocal ass-hat minority" clause to Paleo, too, just like Vegans and other passionate life-stylers!

[Guest]

Hahaha, I know. You can blame PETA for a lot of those anti-vegan feelings. Actually, you can blame vocal minorities for a lot of prejudices. When you say "vegan" they hear "kill joy". Try returning the favour when they do that: tell them to stop preaching at you and to respect your choices. See how that goes.

Squeakiest wheel gets the grease

[Guest]

My attempts at changing my lifestyle

 

Dad: I'll believe it when I see it

 

Step-Mom:(when I was training to join the Navy) You're not doing it right. You're hardly eating and you shouldn't be exercising so much. You're becoming obsessed it's not healthy! (This coming from the woman who starved herself to lose weight without wanting to exercise and then had lapband surgery while avidly denying so)

 

Ex-Spousal unit: Whatever, I'm not eating that shit, and when you fail, don't bitch about it. or Finally, now I can get my skinny wife back and not deal with this lazy b!tch you are now (I know, such a nice guy right?! And he was a Marine Fat Body)

 

Sister:*laughs like I'm joking

 

Hence why I'm here instead of really letting my family know

This made me want to give you a hug. Like a big super duper awesomely fudge-coated mega super hug. Feck em, they don't deserve to be a part of your new and improved life (particularly the ex-spousal unit, goodness gracious). And when you're having your "that's right, I rock" party they can just stand there and go "well...damn."

[I-Jo]

It's funny how that goes: Ethical Vegan? TONS OF QUESTIONS, and the occasional flippant comment about how you think you're better than everyone... When I rarely say anything to anyone. Health Vegan? Less questions, but the occasional Paleo person wants to argue, which I really don't dig. Performance Vegan? Not a single question. It's funny!

 

My friends are finally cool with it, since they've seen the positive change in my life, and they know I'm not going to lecture them for eating a burger.

 

PETA does more damage than good for our reputations, I agree. Most of us are pretty laid back. It's like this with most communities, though. Nerd Fitness is the first time I've been around Paleo folk who haven't been antagonistic ass-hats, so I'm applying the "vocal ass-hat minority" clause to Paleo, too, just like Vegans and other passionate life-stylers!

really?

 

I have no issue accepting ethical vegans.  It makes you feel bad- and it's a moral decision you make- that's on EACH and every person- I have no ground to disagree with that

 

I have questions about performance and "healthy" choice ones though- it kind of makes me head desk.  I'm surprised you have found the opposite in real life!  That honestly surprises me- but on the upside- least you found a solution to dial back the overflow of reactions!

[WeldingMommy]

This made me want to give you a hug. Like a big super duper awesomely fudge-coated mega super hug. Feck em, they don't deserve to be a part of your new and improved life (particularly the ex-spousal unit, goodness gracious). And when you're having your "that's right, I rock" party they can just stand there and go "well...damn."

 

My dad is the only one who really supports me now, but Ive learned that I get pissed off and workout anyway to prove them wrong even though I don't think they are right.

 

Made my dad eat his words too! He know that I can do it and it's his slightly aggressive way of setting a fire under my a$$. Hey it woks!

 

I'll take that hug too! lol

[citizenkade]

really?

 

I have no issue accepting ethical vegans.  It makes you feel bad- and it's a moral decision you make- that's on EACH and every person- I have no ground to disagree with that

 

I have questions about performance and "healthy" choice ones though- it kind of makes me head desk.  I'm surprised you have found the opposite in real life!  That honestly surprises me- but on the upside- least you found a solution to dial back the overflow of reactions!

 

The ethical questions come up only because I think people get nervous when I'm around and they're eating meat; I'm not the Vegan police, so they should relax. It's their decision, not mine! But I get a lot of questions about WHY my ethics don't include eating meat, where as when I say "it's for health", no one bats an eyelash.

 

As far as performance and health go, though, it's a matter of understanding nutrition. I've met a lot of people who get sickly or lose energy when following a Vegan diet, but a lot of them missed the essential truth of the diet: If you don't eat vegetables, you're doing it wrong. They load up on soy, processed meat substitutes, and convenience foods. All they are doing is poisoning their bodies and thinking they are following a healthy diet. "Taco Bell" Vegans make it hard for the rest of us to convince anyone that we can hang when it comes to fitness!

[MetalNinja]

Well, usually the annoying ethical vegans are the privileged white ones who think that 1) vegan diets will work for everyone [not true due to allergies, protein/fat indigestion issues, etc] 2) Anyone can totally afford to be vegan [have fun if you're living in a food desert where there's basically no fresh produce, and what is there is massively overpriced] and 3) there are no ethical concerns with how vegetables are harvested, so vegans are totally ethically perfect, and therefore totally superior and if you're not vegan you are an awful person.  [Note that, of course, there ARE ethical concerns with how produce is harvested.  Although, PETA has made it pretty clear that they don't care about human suffering, anyway.]

 

But those aren't problems with veganism itself, or defining one's personal "ethical veganism" as not killing other animals to survive.  It's really the people that are smug about it and/or abusive to people who aren't vegan that are the problem.

 

But that's also not exclusive to the vegan/not vegan divide.  No matter what you eat, there's someone out there ready to give you crap for it.  Have a food allergy?  Some people will sneak that food item into your meal to "test" if it's a real allergy!  Don't want to drink because you don't like the taste of alcohol?  Cue the long line of people telling you that you just need to "find your drink" and suggesting all sorts of stuff to try, because the idea that you might just not want to is unfathomable to them!  What's that, you actually don't like chocolate? But ~*everyone*~ likes chocolate!  etc.

 

 

Yeah, it would be nice if people would just shut up about other people's food choices unless asked.

[FalseAesop]

Reminds me that I found a nice local brewery, bar, and grill in the neighborhood I moved into.  Good place, fantastic beer, good food... 100% vegan menu.  I'm not vegan, but the food is delicious and the beer is fantastic.  I'd tell people about it and when I mentioned the menu was vegan they'd immediately make disapproving faces. 

 

Seriously?  Can't eat one meal without meat?  

[citizenkade]

I've had people walk right out of my restaurant when we tell them. It's their prerogative, though. I agree completely with MetalNinja, people really should just accept what other people eat, how they eat, and get on with life. I take care of people with wheat allergies on a daily basis, and no way in hell am I going to interrogate them on whether that allergy is real or not; it's none of my business. They came to me for food, and I can feed them!

 

I used to think Paleo was the most ridiculous thing in the world, mostly because of a few ignorant dudes who just happened to follow the diet. I ended up judging the whole ideology based off of a couple of bozos who didn't know what they were talking about. While I can't PERSONALLY agree with the meat recommended in the diet, I can see some serious merit to a lot of what is advocated. I'm not going to sit and argue with someone over the merits of it. If it works for you, and you're seeing some positive benefits from it, then how is it any of my business?

[Guest]

Don't want to drink because you don't like the taste of alcohol?  Cue the long line of people telling you that you just need to "find your drink" and suggesting all sorts of stuff to try, because the idea that you might just not want to is unfathomable to them! 

 

Yes. Thankfully my whole family aren't really much for alcohol, but at school apparently it's a cardinal sin to not want to drink and "party".

I'll drink my apple juice in my batman cup, thankyouverymuch.

[citizenkade]

Yes. Thankfully my whole family aren't really much for alcohol, but at school apparently it's a cardinal sin to not want to drink and "party".

I'll drink my apple juice in my batman cup, thankyouverymuch.

 

Ugh. Peer pressure to drink is the worst. My friends don't get it; I hardly drank before, now that I'm training I'm off the sauce. They just look at me like I punched a baby dolphin.

[MissMormie]

I have two friends that don't drink. One says he doesn't want to drink alcohol because he doesn't. That's fair. The other says he doesn't like the taste of it. So for him I occasionally suggest a new drink that I'm pretty sure he does like. 

 

It's a bit like the difference between an allergy (= don't mess with it) or not liking Brussels sprouts. In the first case you'd never get them from me (at least, not on purpose) but if you don't like the taste I'll find 10 different ways to prepare it to figure out if there is a way you do like it. 

[Mahina]

I have two friends that don't drink. One says he doesn't want to drink alcohol because he doesn't. That's fair. The other says he doesn't like the taste of it. So for him I occasionally suggest a new drink that I'm pretty sure he does like. 

 

It's a bit like the difference between an allergy (= don't mess with it) or not liking Brussels sprouts. In the first case you'd never get them from me (at least, not on purpose) but if you don't like the taste I'll find 10 different ways to prepare it to figure out if there is a way you do like it. 

 

 

I understand where you are coming from, I just hate when people don't take my preferences into consideration when suggesting food or drinks. I don't like the taste of alcohol. Not beer or wine, the alcohol itself, so I don't drink anything strong and I generally don't drink while out because the drinks are always too strong. I hate when I tell someone that I don't like beer or wine they think it's because I haven't tried that one beer/wine yet. Or I need to try a slightly different version like lager or meed. I've tried them all, thank you, and no I didn't like any of them.

[I-Jo]

 

I understand where you are coming from, I just hate when people don't take my preferences into consideration when suggesting food or drinks. I don't like the taste of alcohol. Not beer or wine, the alcohol itself, so I don't drink anything strong and I generally don't drink while out because the drinks are always too strong. I hate when I tell someone that I don't like beer or wine they think it's because I haven't tried that one beer/wine yet. Or I need to try a slightly different version like lager or meed. I've tried them all, thank you, and no I didn't like any of them.

that's part of the problem though.

 

You haven't tried them all.  Alcohol is more varied than the way you can produce veggies. It's impossible to say you have LITERALLY tried them all. It's no feasible. So it is possible that there is one some you would like- but you just haven't found it. But if you don't like drinking so be it.

 

My BF doesn't drink- sometimes it annoys me because he can be SO uptight it's uncomfortable.  He isn't the kind of person who can hang out with people who are drinking and have a good time. ( I don't mean like- at a bar getting wasted- just socially even)  I can. So to me it doesn't matter - But hysterically I did find him something he likes- twisted tea = snapple- that boy LOVES snapple.

he still won't drink it- It's comical. He just doesn't want to drink- but it annoys me when he says he doesn't like stuff- because I know he likes the twisted tea- he just hates the idea of drinking. which are two different things. 

[MetalNinja]

I have two friends that don't drink. One says he doesn't want to drink alcohol because he doesn't. That's fair. The other says he doesn't like the taste of it. So for him I occasionally suggest a new drink that I'm pretty sure he does like. 

 

It's a bit like the difference between an allergy (= don't mess with it) or not liking Brussels sprouts. In the first case you'd never get them from me (at least, not on purpose) but if you don't like the taste I'll find 10 different ways to prepare it to figure out if there is a way you do like it. 

 

Yeah but if I know someone that doesn't like Brussels sprouts, I'm not going to prepare Brussels sprouts 20 different ways until I find a dish they like.  It's just Brussels sprouts, who gives a crap.

 

Unless someone is all "oh man I wish I could eat Brussels sprouts but the taste is just ew!" then why should I press Brussels sprouts on them all the time?  Usually when someone says "I don't like Brussels sprouts" the response is "oh okay" and then you don't try to make that person eat Brussels sprouts.  I mean they're not going to die or have a massive nutritional deficiency without Brussels sprouts in their life, and it's not your job to try to make someone like something.  I mean do you seriously go on a quest to try to find a way to prepare Brussels sprouts so that someone will eat them?  That's an awful lot of effort for one stupid vegetable!  Also, it's kind of ridiculous unless this is your child or other family member and you own a Brussels sprouts farm so you're eating them all the time and they need to learn to like them or they'll go hungry.

 

Why should alcohol be any different?  Unless your one friend is lamenting not being able to drink because of the taste, why would you push it?  Why do you even care?  Why is it not "fair" for someone to not like the taste of alcohol?  Why won't you accept that as a valid excuse?

 

I mean, I've never heard of someone saying "I don't like ginger ale" and then having seven different varieties of ginger ale pushed on them because they haven't tried every ginger ale so how do they know, maybe they'll like this brand, I mean if you've only had Canada Dry how can you be sure, etc.  People get so ruffled when someone doesn't want to drink alcohol, it's ridiculous.

[Basement Cat]

 

I mean, I've never heard of someone saying "I don't like ginger ale" and then having seven different varieties of ginger ale pushed on them because they haven't tried every ginger ale so how do they know, maybe they'll like this brand, I mean if you've only had Canada Dry how can you be sure, etc.  People get so ruffled when someone doesn't want to drink alcohol, it's ridiculous.

I think it all stems from insecurity or fear of being judged. If someone is vegetarian, vegan, paleo or a tee-totaler, of course they are judging everyone who is not. People fear being judged while themselves judging others and trying to make them conform. It's stupid, but hey, it's human.

[IglooInParadise]

The mention of PETA reminds me of an amusing (to me at least) story.  A couple of years ago, I just happened to walk into a big box hardware store where PETA had set up a protest.  There was two girls, one of them was in a cage, and their message was something along the lines of how dreadful the living conditions are for animals and how lucky they were compared to animals because they could get out of the cage whenever they wanted.

 

What's a guy to do?  I continued my shopping, but along the way I picked up a cheap padlock and added it to their cage on my way out.  For the animals of course.

[samanmoran]

Reminds me that I found a nice local brewery, bar, and grill in the neighborhood I moved into.  Good place, fantastic beer, good food... 100% vegan menu.  I'm not vegan, but the food is delicious and the beer is fantastic.  I'd tell people about it and when I mentioned the menu was vegan they'd immediately make disapproving faces. 

 

Seriously?  Can't eat one meal without meat?  

Yeah, I like that one. I stop people and ask them if they have meat at each and every meal?

Or this one, I'm buying a load of produce and the store clerk asks if I'm a vegetarian.

 

A lot of the vegetarians I know are really mac and cheese-a-tarians. Or Tofu-tarians. I probably eat more actual vegetables than a lot of them.

 

I wonder how this conversation goes in India? I LOVE Southern Indian restaurants with all the dosas and soups and, well just all that spicy flavorful deliciousness. Yum, yum, yummy yum yum.

[Damaramu]

I eat meat at every single meal.

[samanmoran]

I eat meat at every single meal.

Ha! well actually these days, since starting the Paleo thing, I do eat more than ever. But it probably wouldn't kill you to skip it one round?

[Damaramu]

I don't want to find out.

[Mahina]

 

 

that's part of the problem though.

 

You haven't tried them all.  Alcohol is more varied than the way you can produce veggies. It's impossible to say you have LITERALLY tried them all. It's no feasible. So it is possible that there is one some you would like- but you just haven't found it. But if you don't like drinking so be it.

 

I get what you mean. I think part of my problem is that I literally don't like the taste of alcohol itself. So I try a beer or a wine and I'm all "this is delicious, except for the undercurrent of alcohol". So when I make my own drinks, I put so little alcohol in them that all I really taste is whatever extra flavor I threw in.

 

I think the thing that annoys me the most is when I try to tell people I don't like beer/wine, they think it's because I haven't tried their favorite or their recommended. And then they get all pouty when I don't like it. Or they think I'm crazy for not liking their favorites.

[samanmoran]

I don't want to find out.

HA! Ok, ok. Me neither!